Stromberg DeLUXE Sunburst 1929-1932

This DeLUXE dates from the early period of Stromberg's archtop production, between 1929 and 1932. Stromberg guitars did not have a serial number, but a business card that was pasted inside the body. The telephone number on this card allows for a rough dating of the guitars. This DeLUXE bears the number Bowdoin 1878-R, which was used from 1929 to 1932.

This Stromberg features laminated maple back and sides and a laminated spruce top with a Sunburst finish. The five-piece maple and ebony neck has a fairly substantial V-profile with a compound radius of 10 to 20 inches on the rosewood fingerboard, which features beautiful mother-of-pearl floral motifs. The ivoroid binding with multi-line purfling and the segmented F-holes give the guitar a refined appearance. The headstock is slightly curved thanks to the use of multilayer synthetic veneer that Elmer Stromberg applied to the front of the headstock to create a multilayer binding effect.

Charles Stromberg, a Swedish immigrant in Boston, Massachusetts, founded his company in 1906 after learning the trade at the local firm Thompson & Odell, assisted by his sons Harry and Elmer. Initially, Stromberg made banjos and mandolins, but when the guitar began to replace the banjo among professional musicians in the 1920s, Stromberg followed suit and produced their first archtop guitars with a vaulted top in 1927. The company produced only about 640 guitars between 1906 and 1955 and is known for its craftsmanship, comparable to the high standards of John D'Angelico.

The guitar came into the possession of the Dutch Archtop Museum in 2011, which acquired the guitar from Rick Kohl of We Buy Treasure in Kernersville, North Carolina. The guitar was sent to the workshop of Dutch luthier Hans de Louter in 2014, who restored the headstock overlay and the body bindings.

Notably, the original Sunburst finish has turned green on the top, the body, and the neck. The neck binding has come slightly loose from the fretboard on the bass side near the body and shows a few small cracks here and there. The guitar is in very good condition, plays well, and has a particularly dry sound with sufficient clarity for solo work.

Consignment